Vivian Maier is now considered a major American photographer but she never published her work and died in obscurity, not knowing the interest her work would provoke. Maier was born in New York City in 1926. She spent her childhood and early twenties between the States and France, her mother’s home country. She returned to … Continue reading “Vivian Maier: Portraits of America and Self”
“Uncle Sam” is commonly used as a symbol of the United States, but where does the name come from? The name, which happens to have the same initials as the country, has been around since the War of 1812 (which actually lasted from 1812 to 1815) between the U.S.A. and the U.K. The officially sanctioned … Continue reading “Happy Uncle Sam Day!”
9/11 … a date etched in everyone’s memory forever. 20 years ago, the world changed tremendously in a few hours. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center were as unexpected as life-changing for the whole world. Commemorations and various events are to take place in the U.S. to pay tribute to those who lost … Continue reading “20th Anniversary of 9/11”
The Institut-Franco-Américain in Rennes is marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with an exhibition and a talk. On 21 September, Florian Treguer from University Rennes 2 will look back on the 9/11 attacks through the prism of Don DeLillo’s 2007 novel Falling Man. And an exhibition, 20 Ans Après Never Forget, by … Continue reading “9/11 Commemorated in Rennes”
On 11 September 2001, the world watched in horror and disbelief as first one plane and then a second crashed into the Twin Towers of the NYC’s World Trade Center. Then news spread of a third hijacked plane heading to the Pentagon and a fourth that crashed en route to Washington, D.C., thanks to the … Continue reading “9/11 20 Years On”
African-American author Colson Whitehead and film director Barry Jenkins both made the same mistake when they were children and first heard about the Underground Railroad. The historical Underground Railroad was a network of people who helped slaves escape from the American South to freedom in the northern states or Canada. Both Whitehead and Jenkins pictured … Continue reading “Bringing the Underground Railroad to the Screen”
On July 4th, the U.S.A. celebrates its independence. And where better to do that than in Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell, and where the Declaration of Independence was written? The Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, renamed Independence Hall, truly deserves the title “birthplace of the nation”. It was here on July 4, 1776 that … Continue reading “Happy July Fourth!”
A musical about Latino communities in New York – it’s not Steven Spielberg’s long-awaited remake of West Side Story but In the Heights – by Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda. It’s all singing, rapping and dancing and screams “summer”! It’s a feelgood story about a Manhattan neighbourhood threatened with gentrification, and the aspirations of the … Continue reading “Musical New York Taken to New Heights”
Juneteenth (19 June) marks the day when the most distant part of the United States received news of the end of slavery. On 19 June 1865, the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas finally discovered that Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had actually freed them two-and-a-half years earlier. As of 17 June 2021, it will be a … Continue reading “Juneteenth Becomes a Federal Holiday”
14 June every year is Flag Day in the United States. It commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag, a version of the familiar red, white and blue “Stars and Stripes” that survives today. On June 14, 1777, future President John Adams discussed the flag … Continue reading “Raise the Flag”
